Knowlege-based method for using social networking site content in variable data applications

ABSTRACT

A method and system automatically obtain user page data from at least one social networking site, using at least one computerized device and automatically monitor the social networking site using the computerized device to detect an event. Upon the detection of an event, the method and system automatically identify a variable information document from a repository based on the topical content of the event using the computerized device. The method and system automatically select data from the user page data that matches the topical content of the event using the computerized device; automatically generate a variable data print instance by combining the images and text from the user page with the variable information document using the computerized device; and automatically output the variable data print instance to a user of the social networking site using the computerized device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/564,164 filed Sep. 22, 2009, the complete disclosure of which, in itsentirety, is herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments herein generally relate to variable data printingapplications and more particularly to a system and method that automatesthe use of variable data printing applications within social networkingsites.

Social networking sites such as Facebook (www.facebook.com; Facebook,Palo Alto Calif., USA) incorporate content such as personal information,contacts, photos, albums, maps, and discussions as well as applicationadd-ons that may result in additional content being displayed on auser's social networking site pages. This content is shared with anetwork of friends who in turn have their own social networking sitecontent. Such content is often suitable for variable data products suchas personalized calendars, greeting cards, photo albums, travel memorybooks, promotional materials and dimensional print items, as well ascross-media content. Currently there is no versatile method forobtaining customized and personalized print and cross-media productsbased on a user's social networking site and social network.

The embodiments herein provide a method for adding a knowledge-based,variable data print (VDP) application to a social networking site wherethe application can access and analyze the user's personal content andsocial network content to determine suitable VDP templates based on theavailable data and graphics. The application can offer previews oftemplate instances that incorporate a particular user's content, as wellas content from other users in said user's network, as well as deliveryof purchased print and cross-media products based on those templates.

The application employs a hosted VDP service, for example based onXMPie, (www.xmpie.com; Xerox Corp., Norwalk Conn., USA) which contains alibrary of campaigns. These campaigns can use the content extracted froma social networking site as graphic assets and data sources for VDPtemplate instances. The application also employs a knowledge-basedsystem to reason about which templates are suitable for a user's socialnetworking content and profiles.

Although Facebook and XMPie are used as examples in this description, aswould be understood by those ordinarily skilled in the art, the conceptsherein are applicable to other social networking sites and VDPplatforms. The embodiments herein provide the integration of socialnetworking content, a knowledge-based system and a VDP system

One specific embodiment herein is a computer-implemented method thatreceives, into at least one computerized device, permissions andpreferences from at least one user of at least one social networkingsite. The method automatically obtains user page data relating to theuser from at least one social networking site (as limited by thepermissions and preferences) using the computerized device.

One feature of embodiments herein is that they automatically monitor thesocial networking site to detect one or more pre-established events.These “events” are a set of logical rules that define time-based eventoccurrences (recurring events, such as a person's birthday, recurringseasonal events, monthly events, etc.) or the event rules can defineone-time occurrences (one-time events, such as a job promotion, amarketing campaign, a social date, etc.). Each of the events comprisesinformation about the topical content of the event. The monitoringprocess compares the user page data to predetermined event rules todetermine whether the event has occurred. Again, this monitoring processis limited by the permissions and preferences set up by the user.

Upon detection of an event, the embodiments herein automaticallyidentify a variable data campaign from a repository of variable datacampaigns based on the topical content of the event. The variable datacampaigns comprise variable information documents.

The embodiments herein automatically select text and media from the userpage data that matches the topical content (again, using thecomputerized device). The user page data may also link to page data fromusers in the user's social network. Further, embodiments hereinautomatically generate a variable data print instance by combining theimages and text from the user page data with the variable data campaignusing the computerized device.

Then, the embodiments herein can automatically output the variable dataprint instance to a user of the social networking site using thecomputerized device. The outputting process can comprise displayingand/or printing the variable data print instance. This process can alsoprovide the user an option to view the variable data print instance,using the computerized device, before outputting the variable data printinstance. These and other features are described in, or are apparentfrom, the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods are describedin detail below, with reference to the attached drawing figures, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating the operations of embodimentsherein;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the inter-relationshipbetween elements utilized with embodiments herein;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a screen shot according to embodimentsherein;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a screen shot according to embodimentsherein;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a screen shot according to embodimentsherein;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a screen shot according to embodimentsherein;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a screen shot according to embodimentsherein; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a screen shot according to embodimentsherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The vast majority of popular social networking sites offer open APIs(Application Programming Interfaces) that support the development ofadd-on applications that enhance the online social networkingexperience. The embodiments herein utilize such add-on applications sothat, when the embodiments herein are granted access, they can pull downprofile information, photos, friend's information, and other applicationcontent from the user's site. More specifically, the embodiments hereinprovide a method for adding a variable data print (VDP) application to auser's social networking site. For example, the embodiments hereinaccess and analyze the user's content and social network content todetermine suitable VDP templates for customized and personalized printand cross-media products based on the data and graphics contentavailable within the social networking site.

Variable data print applications are well-known to those ordinarilyskilled in the art (for example, see U.S. Pat. No. 7,142,326, thecomplete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference) and adetailed discussion of such applications is not included herein, forsake of brevity. In a very simplified sense, variable data printapplications maintain templates of documents that are customized withvariable content. While variable data print applications are much morecomplex, for purposes of understanding their usage within theembodiments described herein, the variable data print applicationsprovide a partially completed document, form, or template that issupplemented with text, photos, video, audio, graphics, etc., from oneor more users' social networking sites.

The embodiments herein can make use of a hosted VDP service, such asXMPie, mentioned above, which contains a library of campaigns that canuse extracted social networking site content as graphic assets and datasources for templates. The embodiments herein also employ aknowledge-based system to reason which templates are suitable for auser's content and profiles. The service can offer previews of templatesthat are instantiated for a particular user's content as well as offerdelivery of purchased print products, portable document format (PDF)files, email-based content and other cross media. Such content includesthe user's personal content and any accessible content in their socialnetwork.

As shown in flowchart form in FIG. 1, one specific embodiment herein isa computer-implemented method that receives, into at least onecomputerized device (which can be a special purpose computerized deviceor a general purpose device), permissions and preferences from at leastone user of at least one social networking site (100). The methodautomatically obtains user page data relating to the user from at leastone social networking site (as limited by the permissions andpreferences) using the computerized device in item 102.

Alternatively, the user may grant permission to a third party without asocial networking presence (such as business or non-profit) to accesstheir social networking content by enabling a direct connection (anexample of which is via Facebook Connect).

One feature of embodiments herein is that they automatically monitor thesocial networking site using the computerized device to detect one ormore pre-established events, as shown in item 104. These “events” are aset of logical rules that define time-based event occurrences (recurringevents, such as a person's birthday, recurring seasonal events, monthlyevents, etc.) or the event rules can define one-time occurrences(one-time events, such as a job promotion, a marketing campaign, asocial date, etc.).

For example, one of the events can comprise a user's friend's birthday.The rules for this event would be to begin the automated processingdescribed herein a sufficient time before the date of the friend'sbirthday. Thus, in one example, one week before the friend's birthdayeach year, the automated processing described below could analyze theuser's social networking site content and the friend's social networkingsite content and extract text and photos relating to the friend and/orthe user and automatically create a customized birthday card for theuser to give to his or her friend.

In addition, many other different types of recurring events can beutilized by the embodiments herein to automatically create weekly printinstances (customized documents), monthly print instances, annual printinstances, etc. For example, each 4th of July the embodiments herein cananalyze the user's social networking site to create a customized 4th ofJuly holiday poster based on the user's social networking site content.Similarly, marketing campaigns for third party entities (such asbusinesses and non-profits) can be customized for each user or group ofusers of social networking sites and can be related to specific holidayssuch as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.

Further, if the user or the sponsoring vendor has a specific singleoccurrence event (such as a wedding, baby shower, job promotion,vacation, etc.) described anywhere within their social networking site,the event rules can identify this single occurrence as an “event” andprepare a customized document relating to the event based on the contentwithin the user's social networking site.

Similarly, vendors can utilize events to trigger special marketingpromotions. These events can include price reductions, certain weatherconditions, certain financial conditions, as “events” to initiate theprocess of automatically preparing customized marketing material. Thecustomized marketing material can be directed to users in a socialnetworking site, and can include content from said users' socialnetworking site or other associated social networking sites. Forexample, if a first user purchases a product and favorably describesthat product on their social networking site, the vendor of that productcan define such a condition as an “event” that causes customizedmarketing material to be created and distributed (using the methodologyas described herein) to some or all of the friends listed in the user'ssocial networking site. The customized marketing material could includestatements from the user regarding the features and benefits of theproduct.

With embodiments herein, a number of predetermined events are includedby default, yet the user, vendor, etc., can add to or customize anyevents as they see necessary. Further, the rules that define the events(and the topics associated with the events) can similarly be added to oraltered by the user or the vendor to allow the embodiments herein tofully serve the purposes intended.

The monitoring process in item 104 compares the user page data to thepredetermined event rules to determine whether the event has occurred.The events herein can occur before or after the dates and times ofpostings within a user's social networking site. Thus, for example, the“event” for birthday would occur one week before the birthday date. Tothe contrary, the “event” for an achievement (such as a victory in asports competition) can occur one day after the sports competition hasbeen completed. As would be understood by one ordinarily skilled in theart, the rules for the occurrence of an event are very flexible and arenot limited to the few examples described here.

This monitoring process is limited by the permissions and preferencesset up by the user in item 100. Thus, for example, user preferences maylimit the type of holiday or type of personal event upon which theautomated processes described herein can be based. Further, thepreferences can determine how far in advance, or far after an occurrencethe processing herein is performed. Also, vendors can similarly setuppreferences to best deliver the various marketing materials to thetargeted users.

Each of the events or sets of rules comprises information about thetopical content of the event. In other words, rules relating toweddings, baby showers, holidays, job promotions, financial conditions,etc., each has one more topical areas that the event is based on. Thistopical content is maintained within the various predetermined rules toallow the embodiments herein to automatically identify a variable datacampaign from a repository of variable data campaigns based the topicalcontent of the event (item 106).

The variable data campaigns comprise one or more variable informationdocuments. Thus, for example, if the event is a wedding (that is tooccur in the future or that occurred in the past) the variable datacampaign that is identified is from within the repository relates toweddings. One of the variable information documents within theidentified campaign may be more appropriate for a wedding that is yet tooccur, while another variable information documents may be moreappropriate for a wedding that was just attended by the user or thatjust occurred, and the appropriate one is automatically selected basedon date.

The embodiments herein can automatically select a single variableinformation document without user intervention. Alternatively,embodiments herein can select a variable data campaign that containsmany variable information documents and allow the user to choose whichvariable information document the user prefers. Such optional user inputis illustrated in FIG. 1 as item 120. In other alternatives, theembodiments herein can prepare a number of variable data print instancesbased on multiple variable information documents so that the user iseventually presented with a number of customized choices of printinstances from which they may select (as described below).

Once the variable data campaign and variable information documents areidentified, the embodiments herein automatically select topicallymatching text and media from related pages of the social networking sitethat matches the topical content (again, using the computerized device)in item 108. Thus, the embodiments herein can retrieve page data (text,pictures, video, audio, artwork, designs, etc.) from the user's socialnetworking site pages or from pages maintained by other users that matchthe topic of the event.

In item 110, the embodiments herein automatically generate a variabledata print instance (the customized document) by combining the imagesand text from the user page data with the variable data campaign usingthe computerized device. As mentioned above, this process can be fullyautomated or optional user input 120 can be utilized to allow the userto select between multiple variable data print instances that could becreated from multiple variable information documents.

Continuing with the birthday card example described above, the processcan be fully automated up to the point where embodiments herein finddifferent birthday cards for the user's friend, each of which is basedupon a different variable information document. Each of the differentbirthday cards would have substantially the same content that was drawnfrom the pages of the user's social networking site, however the layoutand format of each of the birthday cards could be different (becausethey are different print instances). Then, for example, the user couldsimply choose between the different birthday cards or, if the birthdaycards were offered for sale by a vendor, the user could choose andauthorize payment.

Then, the embodiments herein can automatically output the variable dataprint instance to a user of the social networking site using thecomputerized device as shown in item 112. The outputting process 112 cancomprise displaying and/or printing the variable data print instance.Thus, the embodiments herein can display the variable data printinstance to the user to allow the user to accept or reject the variabledata print instance before outputting the variable data print instance.In item 112, the user can also be provided the choice of whether thevariable data print instance should be printed, automatically mailed,and or whether the variable data print instance should be outputelectronically (via e-mail, web posting, etc.).

Thus, the embodiments herein provide a knowledge-based automatedmethodology and system that can select one or more variable informationdocuments from the campaign or repository based upon the number offactors. For example, the embodiments herein consider the topic (e.g.weddings); however there may be a large number of variable informationdocuments that deal with weddings. Therefore, the knowledge-basedautomated methodology herein continues to refine the variableinformation documents to a small number depending upon whether most ofthe information drawn from the user's social networking site ispictorial in nature, textural in nature, relates to large amounts ofaudio, etc.

The knowledge-based automated methodology eliminates many variableinformation documents that do not match the type or nature of thetopically matching content that will be drawn from the user's socialnetworking site. Therefore, the embodiments herein are not topic-basedonly, but also match the variable information documents based upon thetype (or nature) of data that will be retrieved from the user's socialnetworking site. Similarly, the selection of the variable informationdocuments can be further refined by determining whether the event willoccur in the future or has occurred in the past.

By automating this knowledge-based methodology, the user is presentedwith one or more variable information documents completed as one or morevariable data print instances that not only utilize event data that isdirectly relevant and of current interest to the user, but also selectsthe variable information document template that presents such eventtopic information in a manner most suited to the type of data (graphic,pictorial, video, audio, textural, etc.) that is used to populate thevariable information documents template.

FIG. 2 illustrates the elements utilized herein to achieve theprocessing shown in FIG. 1. More specifically, item 200 represents theuser's computerized device with web browser to connect to his socialnetworking site. Items 202 and 204 represent the social networking siteto which the user remotely connects and manipulates via instructionsthat are executable by a processor 216. One set of instructions createthe user view of the user's social networking site 202. Item 204represents the instructions that form the personalized print productapplication gadget according to embodiments herein that is executed bythe processor 216. The personalized print product application gadgets204 include the user's data, graphics, friend's information, installedgadgets to manage the personalized print products, etc.

Item 212 also represents computer-readable storage media maintaininginstructions that are executed by a processor 226 to perform thepersonalized print product application logic according to embodimentsherein. Similarly, the computer-readable storage medium maintaining theinstructions for the knowledge-based system according to embodimentsherein that are executed by the processor 226 is shown as item 210.While the personalized print product application logic 212 andknowledge-based system 210 are shown as operating on a separatecomputerized device 208 in FIG. 2, as would be understood by thoseordinarily skilled in the art, these applications could be operatingupon the user's computerized device 200. Therefore, item 208 canrepresent a separate device or can represent a portion of the user'sdevice 200, and either device can be a special purpose computerizeddevice or can be a general purpose computer.

A Representational State Transfer interface (REST) 206 is shown asforming a connection between the personalized print product applicationgadgets and the personalized print product application logic.Alternatively, the application logic may use a social networking sitesdirect connect capability 218 (an example of which is Facebook Connect)which both authorizes the application for the user's social site andprovides the capability to pull data into the print product application208. Computerized device 208 (and/or computerized device 200)communicates with various external computerized devices networks, cloudenvironments etc., represented by item 220. These elements exchangeitems such as the variable data print template criteria, content,instantiated variable data print template previews, user requests forprint and cross-media products, etc. The cloud environment 220 includesa computer-readable storage medium that maintains instructions forming avariable data printing hosted service 224 which, in turn, includesgraphic assets and data sources 222 and variable data campaigns 228. Theprocessor for executing such instructions is shown as item 236. Item 230represents a printer or printing service which can be connected to anyof the elements, directly or indirectly (operatively connected).

Therefore, personalized print product embodiments are added to a user'ssocial networking site and are granted access to the user's content andtheir friends' content. The application uses the REST interface 206 or aDirect Connect 218 capability to support server-side 208 processing thatdrives the gadgets in the social networking container.

The server-side processing 208 includes a knowledge-based system thatprocesses user content to determine candidate campaigns. As describedabove, templates from the campaign 228 are instantiated with contentfrom the user's sites and a friend's site and then displayed to theuser. For example, as previously illustrated, the personalized printproduct application according to embodiments herein may have a birthdaycard feature that suggests a customized and personalized pop-up birthdaycard for a user's friend where the friend's name is taken from theuser's friends list; the friend's birthday is taken from the friend'sprofile; image content is taken from the user's Friends section thatcontains portraits; recent wall-to-wall (public) posting between the twofriends may be incorporated into the card; etc.

Thus, FIG. 2 illustrates a first computerized device 200 maintainingcomputerized instructions 204 for automatically obtaining user page datafrom at least one social networking site 202. The instructions cause thefirst computerized device 200 to automatically monitor the socialnetworking site 202 to detect an event. A second computerized device 208maintains computerized instructions for automatically identifying avariable information document from a repository 228, upon detection ofan event, based the topical content of the event. The instructions 210and 212 cause the computerized device 208 to automatically selecttopically matching data from the user page data that matches the topicalcontent of the event; and automatically send content and templatecriteria to a hosted or cloud-based service 224 (such as a hosted XMPieuProduce server) which retrieves a template from 228 and generates avariable data print instance by combining the images and text from theuser page data with the variable information document.

The printing device 230 can be operatively connected to the hostedservice 224 such that the printing device 230 outputs the variable dataprint instance to a user of the social networking site. The user mayselect the printing device 230 which produces the variable data printinstance that is most convenient for output retrieval. Alternatively,the output may be produced remotely in which it is subsequently mailedto the user. Alternatively, the hosted service 224 may produceelectronic output which is electronically sent to the user for producingoutput on print device 230 connected to first computerized device 200. Agraphic user interface 214 can display the variable data print instanceand provide the user an option to view the variable data print instance.

The embodiments herein have an underlying knowledge-based system andontology 210 that supports inferences about the content on a user'ssocial networking site. For example, item 300 in FIG. 3 is a schematicdrawing of the user page illustrating a user's social networking sitethat has information about an individual's friends (e.g., in the“Friends” gadget as shown in item 302 in FIG. 3); birthdays (e.g., inthe “Basic Information” list in a user profile as shown in item 304 inFIG. 3); interests (e.g., in the “Personal Information/Interests” listin a user profile as shown in item 306 in FIG. 3) etc.

Once the embodiments herein have been granted access to the aboveinformation for a user's friends as well as the individual userthemselves, the VDP application can offer a personalized calendar with afriend's name and a theme that is compatible with the friend'sinterests, such as the outdoors theme calendar 400 shown in FIG. 4. Notethat in this example, knowledge-based reasoning according to embodimentsherein is used to determine that interests are related to themes andthat cross-country skiing and scuba are related to the specific outdoortheme. An example of integrating a friend's name directly in an outdoorimage, e.g. via XMPie's uImage product, is shown as item 500 in FIG. 5.

Additionally, the knowledge-based system according to embodiments hereincan be used to parse and analyze a user's activity stream consisting ofstatus updates, posted/shared links which they like, wall-to-wall(public) conversations, groups or causes they have joined, and people orevents of which they have become a fan. Through analysis of the user'sactivity stream content, the embodiments herein suggest appropriate VDPtemplates that correspond to that content.

Images used in the print/cross-media product can come from a templatelibrary, but can also come from the user's photo gallery and named photoalbums as shown in FIG. 6, or from a friend's photos. For example, if afriend with an upcoming birthday has scuba diving listed as an interestin their Personal Information section the embodiments herein may suggesta personalized birthday greeting card created using an image from thesender's photo album labeled “scuba” (as shown in FIG. 6) rather thanusing a scuba diving image from the hosted template library.

The embodiments herein can also be used for a promotional use. Forexample, in FIG. 7, a “Causes” application 700 is added to a user'ssocial networking site. If a social networking site were to incorporatesuch an application as a gadget accessible via their API, then theinformation shown in FIG. 7, such as the members of the cause, would beavailable to the embodiments herein. In this example, the onlinecause/group shown in FIG. 7 may want to send personalized promotionalmaterial to all of its members or a certain group or network of people.The material could incorporate custom content for PURLs, e-mails, andhard copy. For instance, the Defenders of Wildlife cause could solicitall the members of the Stop Global Warming cause as shown in FIG. 8 asitem 800. Response URLs could be used that point the target of thepromotion back to the cause site.

There are various approaches to implementing the knowledge-basedreasoning portion of the embodiments herein including using rule-basedsystems and/or ontologies. The types of knowledge to be encoded includeinformation about specific users and their activities, gadgets installedon user sites, and other types of labeled or tagged graphics and textualcontent. Such a knowledge-based application can be periodically updatedas new social networking gadgets are developed and supported by thesocial networking site API, which in turn result in new content beingadded to users' sites.

Note that as technology advancements are made, the embodiments hereincan obtain content from social networking application add-ons and notjust from gadgets supported by the site's API. For example, theembodiments herein may use two backend servers (serving as socialnetworking applications) to separately communicate or advertise theirservices to one another. Communication would not be done through thesocial networking site, but the knowledge transferred between bothserver-side applications would be accessible by the site.

Therefore, as described above, the embodiments herein utilize suchadd-on applications so that, when the embodiments herein are grantedaccess, they can pull down profile information, photos, friend'sinformation, and other application content from the user's site. Morespecifically, the embodiments herein provide a method for adding avariable data print (VDP) application to a user's social networkingsite.

Many computerized devices are discussed above. Computerized devices thatinclude chip-based central processing units (CPU's), input/outputdevices (including graphic user interfaces (GUI), memories, comparators,processors, etc. are well-known and readily available devices producedby manufacturers such as Dell Computers, Round Rock Tex., USA and AppleComputer Co., Cupertino Calif., USA. Such computerized devices commonlyinclude input/output devices, power supplies, processors, electronicstorage memories, wiring, etc., the details of which are omittedherefrom to allow the reader to focus on the salient aspects of theembodiments described herein. Similarly, scanners and other similarperipheral equipment are available from Xerox Corporation, Norwalk,Conn., USA and the details of such devices are not discussed herein forpurposes of brevity and reader focus.

The word “printer” or “printing device” as used herein encompasses anyapparatus, such as a digital copier, bookmaking machine, facsimilemachine, multi-function machine, etc. which performs a print outputtingfunction for any purpose. The details of printers, printing engines,etc. are well-known by those ordinarily skilled in the art and arediscussed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,004, the completedisclosure of which is fully incorporated herein by reference. Theembodiments herein can encompass embodiments that print in color,monochrome, or handle color or monochrome image data. All foregoingembodiments are specifically applicable to electrostatographic and/orxerographic machines and/or processes.

It will be appreciated that the above-disclosed and other features andfunctions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into manyother different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen orunanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvementstherein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which arealso intended to be encompassed by the following claims. The claims canencompass embodiments in hardware, software, and/or a combinationthereof. Unless specifically defined in a specific claim itself, stepsor components of the embodiments herein should not be implied orimported from any above example as limitations to any particular order,number, position, size, shape, angle, color, or material.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:automatically monitoring an online user page using a computerized deviceto detect an event; upon detection of said event, automaticallyidentifying a variable information template based on topical content ofsaid event using said computerized device; automatically selecting itemsfrom said online user page that match said topical content using saidcomputerized device; and automatically generating a variable data printinstance by combining said items from said online user page with saidvariable information template using said computerized device.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising providing said user anoption to view said variable data print instance, using saidcomputerized device.
 3. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising one of displaying and printing said variable data printinstance.
 4. The method according to claim 1, said automaticallymonitoring comprising comparing said online user page to predeterminedevent rules to determine whether said event has occurred.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1, said event comprising one of a recurring event anda one-time event.
 6. A computer-implemented method comprising:automatically monitoring an online user page to detect an event of aplurality of pre-established events using said computerized device, eachof said events comprising topical content; upon detection of said event,automatically identifying a variable data campaign of variable datacampaigns based on said topical content of said event and time-basedrules using said computerized device, said variable data campaignscomprising variable information templates; automatically selecting itemsfrom said online user page data that match said topical content usingsaid computerized device; and automatically generating a variable dataprint instance by combining said items from said online user page withsaid variable data campaign using said computerized device.
 7. Themethod according to claim 6, further comprising providing said user anoption to view said variable data print instance, using saidcomputerized device.
 8. The method according to claim 6, furthercomprising one of displaying and printing said variable data printinstance.
 9. The method according to claim 6, said automaticallymonitoring comprising comparing said online user page to predeterminedevent rules to determine whether said event has occurred.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 6, said event comprising one of a recurring event anda one-time event.
 11. A computerized system comprising: a computerizeddevice maintaining computerized instructions, said computerizedinstructions causing said computerized device to: monitor an online userpage to detect an event; identify a variable information template from arepository, upon detection of said event, based on topical content ofsaid event; and select items from said online user page that match saidtopical content; and a variable data printing hosted service incommunication with said computerized device, said variable data printinghosted service generating a variable data print instance by combiningsaid items from said online user page with said variable informationtemplate.
 12. The computerized system according to claim 11, furthercomprising a graphic user interface displaying said variable data printinstance and providing said user an option to view said variable dataprint instance.
 13. The computerized system according to claim 11, saidfirst computerized device comparing said online user page topredetermined event rules to determine whether said event has occurred.14. The computerized system according to claim 11, said event comprisingone of a recurring event and a one-time event.
 15. The computerizedsystem according to claim 11, further comprising a printing deviceoperatively connected to said second computerized device, said printingdevice outputting said variable information template.
 16. A computerizedsystem comprising: a computerized device maintaining computerizedinstructions, said computerized instructions causing said computerizeddevice to: monitor an online user page to detect an event of a pluralityof pre-established event, each of said events comprising topicalcontent; identify a variable data campaign of variable data campaignsbased on said topical content of said event and time-based rules, saidvariable data campaigns comprising variable information templates; andselect items from said online user page that match said topical content;and a variable data printing hosted service in communication with saidcomputerized device, said variable data printing hosted servicegenerating a variable data print instance by combining said items fromsaid online user page with said variable data campaign.
 17. Thecomputerized system according to claim 16, further comprising a graphicuser interface displaying said variable data print instance andproviding said user an option to view said variable data print instance.18. The computerized system according to claim 16, said firstcomputerized device comparing said online user page to predeterminedevent rules to determine whether said event has occurred.
 19. Thecomputerized system according to claim 16, said event comprising one ofa recurring event and a one-time event.
 20. The computerized systemaccording to claim 16, further comprising a printing device operativelyconnected to said second computerized device, said printing deviceoutputting said variable information template.